Concrete

August 20, 2014

When structures made of concrete are demolished or renovated, concrete recycling is an increasingly common method of utilizing the rubble. Concrete was once routinely trucked to landfills for disposal, but recycling has a number of benefits that have made it a more attractive option in this age of greater environmental awareness, more environmental laws, and the desire to keep construction costs down.

Unlike most other recycling methods, concrete uses a special heavy-duty construction bin in order to be discarded correctly. Fortunately, recycling concrete can cut down on overall costs of throwing it into a standard dumpster. Using these special dumpsters can make the process of recycling expedited, as recycling centers do not have to separate the heavy concrete. The concrete is then crushed, refined, and reprocessed.

Concrete has been known to be reused as the bottom layer of new roads, retaining walls, riprap revetments which are used to control streambank erosion, and can be recycled into new concrete for various construction projects.